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Friday, October 27, 2006

TownOnline.com - Business News: Boston corporations volunteer in Woburn: "The employees participated in United Way of Massachusetts Bay's 15th annual Community Care Day, an effort to educate volunteers about issues facing the community, foster long-term volunteer engagement and match companies with volunteer projects in issue areas they are most interested in."

Working together to invest in the future : Mail & Guardian Online:snip snip>>> "There is a growing acceptance that social responsibility should be at the core of the business, not merely an add-on. At the same time, in South Africa the emphasis is growing for market-based solutions to social problems, and not-for-profit organisations are under increasing pressure from donors to be self-funding, doing commissioned work as well as advocacy. This creates its own dangers and -- to use development-speak -- challenges. But it is a reality.

US consultant Susan Raymond, writing on the onPhilanthropy site, underlines the vital questions these developments raise.

'If we no longer know what we mean by the term 'nonprofit' or 'foundation' or 'philanthropy,' how will we continue to make these distinctions? "

PROVIDING for relatives comes more naturally than reaching out to strangers. Nevertheless, it may be worth being kind to people outside the family as the favour might be reciprocated in future. But when it comes to anonymous benevolence, directed to causes that, unlike people, can give nothing in return, what could motivate a donor? The answer, according to neuroscience, is that it feels good.

Researchers at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, Maryland, wanted to find the neural basis for unselfish acts. They decided to peek into the brains of 19 volunteers who were choosing whether to give money to charity, or keep it for themselves. To do so, they used a standard technique called functional magnetic resonance imaging, which can map the activity of the various parts of the brain. The results were reported in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."

November 1, 2006 - What are the top financial planning issues confronting your high-net-worth clients today? That answer will vary by individual, of course, but maybe not as much as you think. The well-heeled are by no means a one-size-fits-all market--far from it--but there are some traits they share when you look at them by age and net worth."

On 16 October 2006, twenty-four countries approved the International Statement of Ethical Principles in Fundraising

This historic moment marks the occasion of the first formal document governing fundraising activity worldwide, and the culmination of four years of international dialogue. The meeting was the fourth International Summit, commencing in Toronto in 2003 and concluding in Noordwijkerhout in the Netherlands in 2006. It is the purpose of this Statement of Ethical Principles to foster the growth of a worldwide fundraising community.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals is the national membership organization of those who raise money for a living in the major gifts arena and as a trade group, most of its attention is focused on members. Rightly so. But the AFP Blog is wonderful service for anyone working in the sector - and that's because of the terrific work being done by blogger Reed Stockman."

Government Trust in Asia Remains High at the Expense of NGOs: "A major study of 1,050 regional opinion leaders launched today reveals a shift in trust in institutions. Although the government remains the most trusted institution throughout the Asia-Pacific region with a top rating of 29 percent, NGOs lost significant trust over the past year, with their overall trust rating falling from 28 percent to 22 percent."

Too good to be true? Altruism’s better for you - The Herald: "So, are we just a bunch of calculating philanthropists?Not at all. The key thing about competitive altruism is that it's instinctive. The contestants did not know about the second round, where someone would be crowned leader. In fact, they did not know each other at all, so the experiment underlines our innate altruistic tendencies."

BOSTON, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of America today released the initial results of the most comprehensive survey to-date of the philanthropic behavior of wealthy Americans. The Bank of America High Net-Worth Philanthropy Study was conducted by The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University for Bank of America."

How much would you shell out to own an M&M that traveled through space?

How about a dinner on Larry Ellison's yacht? Or a cake by a famed baker?

Better yet, how much would you pay to own nothing?

All of these items, including the right to own thin air, were sold for thousands of dollars.

Sound pricey? Welcome to the new world of fundraising auctions, where the items being sold are getting more unique and the prices people pay, in some cases, are through the roof, according to longtime auctioneers.

Thursday features a news conference in New York City with the mayor. On Friday, 1,000 volunteers and wealthy alumni such as former Citigroup chairman Sanford 'Sandy' Weill will be back on the main campus in Ithaca, N.Y., for an elaborate dinner. The menu: a salad that includes wild mushrooms and sweet vermouth cheesecake; marinated beef tenderloin; and, a hazelnut Godiva chocolate tart with minted raspberry sauce."

"How can you grab a hold of this wave of generosity? Participate in Foolanthropy!

This year marks the tenth interactive, cooperative charity drive directed by the Fool community. You can head over to the special discussion board and nominate a charity you think is a worthy cause. The Motley Fool's Foolanthropy Committee will keep an eye on the discussion and select five of the most Foolish for this year's charity drive, to be announced around Nov. 20. "

As Philadelphia welcomes 6,000 geologists for their annual convention today, here's an ironic coincidence: The city's natural-history museum is abandoning the rocks-and-minerals business.

Trustees of the cash-strapped Academy of Natural Sciences voted Tuesday to sell more than 15,000 minerals and gems that hadn't been cleaned or displayed for decades. Workers then began boxing up specimens for an unnamed private dealer, acting academy president Ian Davison said."

Following a tradition of landmark gestures to the city, Coca-Cola has agreed to grant a piece of land next to the Georgia Aquarium for an attraction honoring Atlanta as the cradle of the civil rights movement.

Coca-Cola Chief Executive Neville Isdell made the surprise announcement at a lunch of downtown business leaders Monday. He and Mayor Shirley Franklin struck a deal for the 2.5-acre property last week.

Coke will pass the property, estimated to be worth $8 million to $11 million, to the city either as a gift or for a minimal amount. The details have yet to be worked out."

Warren Buffett, the legendary chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, stunned the world this past summer when he announced that he would contribute the bulk of his roughly $40 billion fortune to philanthropy. Even more surprising, the 'Oracle of Omaha' committed more than $30 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to double its efforts to improve global health."

When charity and celebrity collide, as they did with Madonna's recent adoption of a little boy from Malawi, the cause at hand is often overlooked. People aren't focused on the needs of little David Banda and the reported 1 million orphans in the impoverished southern African nation. Instead, we are fixated on discerning the Material Mom's true intentions."

Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday that 'nobody's going to buy' how victims' names will be displayed at the World Trade Center Memorial.

Reacting to financier Howard Lutnick's promise of $25 million - if 9/11 victims' names are grouped the way the families want them - Bloomberg added: 'Nobody's going to dictate with cash what's the right thing to do.'

As the Daily News reported exclusively yesterday, Lutnick supports the wish of 9/11 family groups to have their loved ones' names listed under the companies they worked for, and with their office locations and ages noted."

There’s much talk these days about the impending retirement of the generation we refer to as baby boomers. Newspapers, radio talk shows and other mediums are dedicated to providing thought-provoking fodder on how this crop of soon-to-be retirees will spend their future days. How will they squander their pensions? To what exotic destination will they travel? How much will their new condos cost? Of course, one would imagine a discussion on ‘leaving’ would, likewise, involve a serious dialogue on who and what is left behind. So many issues to resolve: who will take the boomer’s place at the head of the boardroom table? How will the organization function without the efficacy and strategic aptitude of Mr. or Mrs. Retiree? How can an organization ensure it finds talented people to fill their shoes?"

Michael Tennenbaum is the kind of patron most museums and symphonies dream of landing. He started his own private-investment firm and is a generous philanthropist, recently giving a total of $10 million to three universities and serving on the board of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

As for cultural causes, Mr. Tennenbaum says he's not especially interested right now. Education, medicine and children's welfare are 'more deserving based on my set of values and more important socially,' he says"

Oct. 23 (Bloomberg) -- The Museum of Modern Art raised more money from private sources in 2005 than any other not-for-profit museum in the U.S., while the Metropolitan Opera received the most donations among performing arts institutions that year, according to a new survey."

Donations to America's largest charities grew by 13 percent last year, to $62.7- billion, according to The Chronicle'sannual Philanthropy 400 survey.

That increase matches the highest percentage gain in the 16 years that The Chronicle has been ranking the 400 most-successful charities. At the height of the technology boom, in 1999, charities in the Philanthropy 400 achieved a 13.4-percent increase."

New York City's museums, hospitals, and social service agencies are leaders on the Philanthropy 400, a list of top charities nationwide published today by the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

It may not be as widely read as the Fortune 500, but the Philanthropy 400 list matters to the country's top donors and fund-raising professionals, by passing judgment on their ability to attract private dollars from individuals, foundations, and corporations. The list is ranked in order of which organizations received the most money."